New sorbent captures three times as much CO₂

Abstract

A new sorbent can capture up to three times as much carbon dioxide from air as known materials ( Science Advances 2023, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg1956 ). When exposed to seawater, the sorbent converts CO 2 into sodium bicarbonate, which can be safely stored in oceans. Eighteen pilot-scale plants that remove CO 2  directly from air operate today in North America and Europe, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The plants use amine-based liquids or solids to capture the gas; heating the materials enables the release of the CO 2 for storage or use and frees the sorbent for reuse. Costs for direct-air capture (DAC) must fall drastically for the technology to be deployed widely enough to help reduce the world’s carbon emissions to zero by 2050, according to the IEA. Boosting a sorbent’s capacity to soak up CO 2 from the air could help cut costs. Arup K. SenGupta,